This is the class blog for Eng 1102 at GA Tech called "Fiction, Human Rights, and Social Responsibility." The purpose of this blog is to extend our discussion beyond the classroom and to become aware of human rights issues that exist in the world today and how technology has played a role in either solving or aggravating them. Blogs will be a paragraph long (250 words) and students will contribute once every three weeks according to class number. Entries must be posted by Friday midnight.

Friday, October 11, 2013

World leaders urged to make Arms Trade Treaty work after more than 100 sign on

After
the number of countries which signed the Arms Trade Treaty passed 100 marks,
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Salil Shetty called on governments to
act on their promises. At the United Nations in New York on September 23th,
Shetty told how Amnesty International began in 1993. He said, “Continue to
challenge as many governments as possible to deliver on their promises to
implement the lifesaving Arms Trade Treaty rapidly and rigorously.”

20 countries signed the treaty on
September 23th, including the USA which is the world’s largest arms dealer.
Shetty described the USA joining as “a milestone towards ending the flow of
conventional arms that fuel atrocities and abuse.”

Actually I was really surprise the
fact that USA joined the Arms Trade Treaty less than a month ago. I thought USA
is a symbol of nation which not only the most powerful country in the world but
also prohibiting warfare and terrorisms around the world. Maybe, because all
those Hollywood’s movies I watched. My question is why and how? I guess the
most understandable answer should be ‘making profits out of selling weapons’.
However, why USA suddenly signed up for this Arms Trade Treaty?

More than 500,000 people die every
on average and millions more are displaced and abused as the result of armed
violence and conflict. After the signing the ATT, states will attempt not to transfer
conventional weapons to countries when those weapons will be used crimes
against humanity or war crimes. I really
hope that signing Arm Trade Treaty is a turning point of all warfare and massacre
around the world.